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Bombardier CS100 Operations Begin July 2016 @ Zurich

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) expects to put its first Bombardier CSeries aircraft - a CS100 - into service July 15 on its first commercial flight: LX638 from Zurich to Paris Charles de Gaulle.

The Lufthansa subsidiary and Switzerland flag carrier will take delivery of the CS100 in June, becoming the launch operator for the new aircraft type. The much-delayed CSeries aircraft was originally supposed to enter service in late 2013.

“We expect to have up to nine CSeries aircraft in operation this year; this is quite a number,” SWISS CEO Thomas Kluehr confirmed to ATW on the sidelines of the Lufthansa Satellite ceremony in Munich.

Other destinations to initially receive CS100 service will be Manchester, Prague and Budapest, followed by Warsaw and Brussels at the end of August. In September, the CS100 will serve Nice, Stuttgart, Hanover, Milan, Florence and Bucharest.

The CSeries is expected to serve the Zurich-London City route from the first quarter of 2017.

The CS100 will replace the Avro RJ100 as new jets arrive, because of its 25% reduced operating costs. SWISS expects to take delivery of 30 CSeries aircraft from 2016-2018, including at least 10 of the larger CS300s.

The arrival of the new CSeries aircraft will further create some 150 new positions within the company’s cabin crew corps.

By: Kurt Hofmann

Great to see the CSeries are ready to enter commercial service. Flight testing had been delayed for three months back in May 2014 when a Pratt & Whitney PW1500G GTF engine on a Test Aircraft experienced an uncontained failure during stationary maintenance ground runs.
Fingers crossed for a smooth entry into revenue service,

Re: Bombardier CS100 Operations Begin July 2016 @ Zurich

A SWISS scheduled commercial flight of the Bombardier CSeries aircraft from Switzerland to the UK had to return to home base Tuesday morning after experiencing a problem with its air conditioning system.

SWISS and Bombardier confirmed the July 19 flight from Zurich to Manchester, UK, turned back. Much of Europe has been experiencing a heat wave this week, which may have exacerbated the problem.

SWISS said a backup system meant it was possible to continue the flight, but it was decided to return to home base to do the fix. The CS100 was scheduled to go to Prague later that day.

A Bombardier spokeswoman emailed a statement saying, “we learned that SWISS had to return to home base today during a flight to Manchester and to use another aircraft on the following flight. Last status as of 7pm, Zurich reported that everything has been fixed and the situation is back to normal.”

The CS100 entered service with launch customer SWISS July 15. On that day, the inaugural flight from Zurich apparently pushed back on time from the gate, but then experienced a problem when airport ramp staff disconnected a ground power cable before the pilots pushed the transfer switch to the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU). That caused a power restart and the aircraft lost its takeoff slot, leading to a delay.

Honeywell, which makes CSeries’ APU – a small turbine engine that powers cabin air when the aircraft is on the ground – said it was not aware of any issues with the APU itself.

SWISS has characterized the issues as “minor hiccups," but problems that lead to flight turn-backs or cancelations will be a disappointment to SWISS, a Lufthansa Group subsidiary, and to Bombardier, which delivered the first aircraft at the end of June after a more than two year delay.

Bombardier executives, who are hoping the aircraft’s entry into service will trigger more orders, have acknowledged the importance of a smooth transition to commercial operations with minimal problems.

Speaking to ATW at a press conference ahead of the SWISS scheduled flights, Bombardier VP-CSeries Rob Dewar said about 20 Bombardier specialists would be based in Zurich to support SWISS at the beginning. “For us, the first aircraft delivery to SWISS is very rewarding after a long journey [in aircraft development]. In Zurich, we have all the [spare] parts, suppliers and people. We are ready to support SWISS. It is critical for us to have a successful EIS,” he said.

SWISS originally ordered 20 CS100s and 10 CS300s, plus 30 options, but then converted five 100s to the 300 variant. The carrier expects to have nine CS100s in service by the end of 2016.

“Bombardier is fully committed to supporting SWISS for a successful entry-into-service,” the Bombardier spokeswoman said.

Re: Bombardier CS100 Operations Begin July 2016 @ Zurich

ATW Online; Friday August 19, 2016SWISS ‘satisfied’ with first 30 days of CS100 operations

Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) said the first 30 days of Bombardier CS100 commercial operations have gone according to plan, despite minor glitches. The Star Alliance member is the first operator of the CSeries.

SWISS launched the first commercial CS100 scheduled flight from Zurich to Paris Charles de Gaulle July 15. A second CS100 began scheduled operations Aug. 18, also from Zurich to Paris Charles de Gaulle.

SWISS spokesperson Karin Mueller told ATW: “We are satisfied with the first 30 days since starting entry-into-service [EIS]; of course, there is potential for optimization.”

Some of the glitches were “minor” technical and operational uncertainties - for example, de-icing, air conditioning and ground handling. On July 19, a SWISS CS100, en route from Switzerland to the UK, had to return after experiencing a problem with its air conditioning system.

“These glitches had been in an area what you can expect during EIS. There have been never signs that the entire fleet introduction is in danger.”

Bombardier VP-CSeries Rob Dewar told ATW July 6 that about 20 Bombardier specialists would be based in Zurich to support SWISS initially. “It is critical for us to have a successful EIS,” he said.

Mueller said that support from Bombardier, as well as daily experience in operating the new aircraft, have reduced initial uncertainty “significantly.”

She said no flights were canceled during the first 30 days of CSeries operations, even though the aircraft had to remain on ground once for technical reasons.

SWISS said the CS100 operates on a 99% dispatch reliability.

After the first four weeks, the first CS100 aircraft (HB-JBA) has operated at a higher reliability rate compared to other new-generation aircraft types, according to Mueller. “We are satisfied with the values, since they meet the expectations of a new aircraft.”

The target is to operate the CS100 fleet with 99% dispatch reliability year round, according to Mueller. “To get reliable information [of CSeries operations], there must be a minimum of five CS100s operating scheduled services for at least three months,” Mueller explained.

Inside the aircraft, minor adjustments had been necessary, like loudspeaker noise or the installation of a cabin class divider. Passenger feedback has been so far mostly positive, she said.

SWISS expects delivery of a third CS100 (HB-JBC) within the next few weeks, but Mueller declined to give details for further CS100 deliveries. “We want to be flexible [on further deliveries] and to bring in first our experiences from the scheduled operations,” she said. This needs more time, which is why further deliveries had been moved back slightly. “But for a new type of aircraft, this is not unusual,” Mueller added.

On July 15, SWISS CEO Thomas Kluehr told ATW the carrier will take delivery of nine CS100s in 2016. It will take delivery of one aircraft per month in July, August and September. After that, deliveries will increase to two aircraft per month.

SWISS originally ordered 20 CS100s and 10 CS300s, plus 30 options. On June 5, the carrier announced it would convert five of 20 CS100 orders into CS300s.

By: Kurt Hofmann

Another satisfied customer. The GTF on the CSeries appears to be free from the engine start issues on A320neo/PW. ..

Both Bombardier and Pratt emphasized that the PW1500G-powered CS100, which entered service with Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) in July, is performing well. But ramping up production of the GTF, another variant of which also went into service on the Airbus A320neo earlier this year, is proving to be a challenge for East Hartford, Connecticut-based Pratt.

“In terms of production, we’ve made significant headway in the supply chain, but there is some pressure on new engine deliveries for this year,” a Pratt spokesperson told ATW. “We are working closely with our customers on the delivery schedule, and we are keeping them apprised of the progress being made.”

The CSeries delivery delays are a setback for a program that had gained momentum after experiencing multiple program delays, including flight testing being grounded for more than three months in 2014 following a PW1500G engine fire. But Bombardier executives have been touting significant program progress in recent months. Prior to the service entry with SWISS, Bombardier booked two major orders for the narrowbody aircraft—75 firm CS100s from Delta Air Lines and 45 firm CS300s from Air Canada.

There were GTF-powered A320neo delivery delays in the first half of this year related to an engine startup restriction issue that Pratt characterized as “teething problems,” for which the engine manufacturer has provided a fix. The CSeries delivery delays are not connected to that issue, according to Bombardier and Pratt.

By: Aaron Karp

Bombardier shares the pain of program delays also suffered by Airbus [A380] and Boeing [787].

Re: Bombardier CS100 Operations Begin July 2016 @ Zurich

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) plans to replace its five remaining Airbus A319s with Bombardier CS100/300 aircraft in the spring of 2018, SWISS CSeries fleet chief Peter Koch told journalists in Zurich at the CS100 launch to London City Airport.

The A319 replacement is possible with the existing order of 10 CS100s and 20 CS300s.

ATW understands SWISS offers 145 seats on its CS300s compared to the 138-seat A319. The next larger aircraft type is the A320, with a 168-180 seat configuration.

SWISS’s Airbus narrowbody family fleet also includes 21 A320-200s and nine A321-100/200s.

SWISS, the CS100 launch customer, began scheduled services from Zurich to Paris Charles de Gaulle in July 2016. The Star Alliance member became the first airline to operate both CSeries CS100/300 variants.

SWISS currently operates eight CS100s and two CS300s.

The national airline of Switzerland is acquiring the CSeries primarily to replace Avro RJ100s, which is 25% cheaper to fly and has a high operational reliability rate, Koch said.

The biggest challenge for SWISS is the CSeries delivery delays, which force the carrier to reschedule operations. SWISS trains 10 pilots per month to CSeries standards; so far 210 pilots have been trained on the type.

SWISS originally planned to receive a new aircraft every month. Koch said the hopes to accept the next aircraft in August and delivery delays are improving.

To fill the delivery delay gap, SWISS has wet leased one Bombardier CRJ900 from Slovenia-based Adria Airways during the summer period.

“For us, [the CSeries] is the perfect aircraft,” Koch said.

By: Kurt Hofmann

Bombardier CSeries aircraft are beginning to make their mark in the industry.